Reversible Photoinduced Magnetization

Reversible photoinduced magnetization was observed in a cobalt iron cyanide thin film. Magnetic properties of the prussian blue analog, K 0.4 Co 1.3 [Fe(CN) 5 ].5H 2 O, can be switched between ferrimagnetic and paramagnetic by visible and near-IR light illumination. The critical temperature after illumination was about 26 K. This material, obtained via an electrochemical route in the form of thin films on an electrode, provides a new system whose magnetic properties can be controlled by both photochemical and electrochemical redox reactions.